


A Lost Cause

by orphan_account



Series: Gay Teens, Basically [2]
Category: Banana Bus Squad, Youtube RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Kinda, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Slash, Prequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-06 20:04:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12217965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Max is confident that this year will go just as expected. He's sure he'll get straight A's, keep his squeaky clean juvenile record, do all his community service hours right away, and (maybe) find a girlfriend.Adam has everything he'snever needed.





	A Lost Cause

**Author's Note:**

> Prequel to [Gamertags, Gay Teens, and Only Being Good at Math](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9916151/chapters/22221665)
> 
> * * *
> 
> havent written anything in a while, essays & projects, the usual, but uh i still dont have a whole lot of time, so heres a... thing?   
>  this ship needs more fics... people that write seamex are a blessing to this earth, thank

Max yawned, adjusting the bookbag on his shoulder, as he stood in the crowd of students in front of the school. He felt a buzzing in his back pocket and pulled out his phone, looking up to see he'd gotten a text. Reading it, his bag slumped on his shoulders. Holding in a sigh, he turned and started walking back towards the side of the school.

* * *

Adam looked up at footsteps, in the process pulling his gray hood down over his face a bit further, hands shaking ever so slightly. The boy stopped in front of him and crouched down, shaking his head.

"Really? It's the fourth day of school, Adam." He didn't respond, instead opting to pull his knees closer to his chest. He make a quiet noise and shifted away, back pressing up further against the brick behind him, as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. The hand pulled away, the other looking at Adam with a frown, moving to sit down on the ground all the way.

"Adam, did someone hurt you?" Adam stayed silent, hands moving to grip his arms tightly.

"Adam." The voice came more sternly, but he only just dug his fingernails into his skin, teeth clenched.

"Adam, if you don't answer me right now, I'm getting a teacher." Panicked eyes peeked out from under the edge of Adam's hood, a choked gasp stuck in his throat. Max waited, his expression dropping, and let his muscles relax. Adam whispered his answer after a few seconds, lips feeling too dry, too heavy.

"Yeah."

It hung in the consequential emptiness like ice, and it weighed down on Adam's ribs until Max responded.

"That's... Do you need to go to my house? My mom won't mind at all." Adam nodded, and Max stood, helping him up, and put his arm around Adam, letting the younger lean on him as they made their way back around to the front.

* * *

Adam froze under the stare of Max's bus driver, mouth dry and stuck, no words coming out. Max leaned to the side and offered a short explanation- more of an excuse, really- as to why Adam was there, and she let him by with a sideways glance.

He slid into a seat, Max right behind him, and leaned his head against the window, the glass cold against his bruises. Max held back the urge to wrap his arms around the younger's slumped shoulders, instead opting to analyze his face, lit up by the afternoon sunlight revealing his face as it shone in from the outside.

Background noises of kids talking loudly, listening to music, or doing homework allowed him to daydream, shaking himself out of it when he noticed that it was his stop. Tapping on Adam's side, he got up, walking down the aisle and the steps, and made his way up the sidewalk, Adam following behind him with unnatural movements, limbs stiff. Max pulled the key chain from around his neck and unlocked the door, immediately balancing himself against the door frame to stop from being overrun by a large huskie.

"M-Malcolm, careful," he said, leaning down to ruffle the dog's ears. Adam slipped inside the house, passing by Max and Malcolm, and was greeted with a voice from the warmly-lit kitchen.

"Max! Did you bring someone over?"

"It's just Adam," Max called back, and a tall woman stepped out into the living room- where Max had gotten Malcolm to finally sit down as he closed the door- holding a large metal spoon.

"Oh! Come inside, dear! We're making potato soup, are you staying for dinner?"

"We?" Max's mother laughed, eyes lighting up, and nodded, gesturing towards the kitchen with her spoon.

"Of course! James helped me pick out what kind of vegetables to use at the store today, he's been very helpful." Max grinned, walking over to the archway into the kitchen, and crouched a bit, stretching out his arms, a kid no older than five at the most coming out from behind their mom to hug Max. Adam watched, before sitting down on the large, soft couch of the living room, Malcolm hopping up and licking at his face.

"Ah-!"

"Malcolm, off!" At the mother's sharp command, the dog hopped off, whimpering and looking up at Adam with huge eyes.

"Sorry about that, dear, Malcolm just missed you. You haven't been over in a while." Adam rubbed his arm, glancing away from her concerned stare.

"Yeah, I dunno. Just been busy."

"Well... Okay then," she said, ushering James back into the kitchen, Max taking a seat next to Adam on the couch.

"Hey, sorry about all the people and stuff, at least Sophie is asleep, though... You wanna hang out in my room?" Adam nodded, and clutched at the ends of his hoodie sleeves as he walked out of the living room and down a hallway, entering into Max's room through a very familiar door.

He took off his shoes, setting them down on the floor, and sat down cross legged on Max's bed. Max, having already shed his shoes at the front door, quickly got up from the bed and slid out the door, grinning back at Adam.

"Hey, be right back, I'm getting you some ice packs, okay?" Adam nodded, and sat in Max's place, leaning back against the pillows. He breathed in the familiar air, wincing slightly, and closed his eyes, the sounds of cars heading home just outside the bedroom window relaxing his hands. He nearly drifted off, but jumped when Max came back into the room, shutting the door. Max set down the multiple ziploc bags filled with ice and wrapped in paper towels on the edge of the bed, getting up onto it.

"Do you wanna just put them on yourself, or-"

"No, _stay,_ " Adam said, hand reaching out to grab Max's wrist. They looked at each other for a few moments, silent, before Adam let go, blushing.

"Sorry, I didn't- I thought-"

"It's fine," Max said. He smiled and moved a bit closer, hands closing around the bottom edge of Adam's hoodie.

"If I do something that hurts you, tell me right away, okay? I don't want to make any of this worse." Adam nodded, soundlessly mouthing 'yeah', as his hoodie was removed, dropped onto the floor by the side of the bed. Max softly moved Adam's face to the side, shaking his own head.

"Why do you let people do shit like this to you?" He didn't wait for a response, shoving one of the makeshift ice packs into Adam's hands. 

"Hold this against your face." Adam did so, flinching a bit at the cold. Max looked him straight in the eyes, jaw set, and his voice lost all light.

"Were you hurt anywhere else?" After a few moments, Adam nodded, lifting up his shirt to reveal dark, splotchy bruises on his chest, worst over his ribs. Max's breath caught in his throat, and he let his fingertips graze over the colored patches. Adam bit his tongue, muscles clenching, and averted his eyes.

"Okay, okay, okay, um... Do you think anything is broken?" Adam shook his head, and Max let out a short sigh, closing his eyes.

"Good. Good." He opened them back up to grab the other two ice packs, placing them on either side of Adam's chest.

"You're supposed to take them off after about twenty five minutes, okay?" Adam offered a smile, voice a bit scratchy.

"What, did you look all this up?" Max flushed slightly, grinning.

"Shut up!" They both went quiet, and Max ran his hand through Adam's short cut hair, frowning.

"You wanna tell me who did this?" Adam shook his head, smile dropping as well. Max pursed his lips, brows furrowing.

"Okay... You wanna tell me  _why_ someone did this?" He shook his head again, but more firmly, and Max simply nodded slowly.

"Alright. I'm guessing you want to stay here overnight."

"Yeah." Max looked Adam straight in the eyes, and carefully wrapped an arm around him.

"It's gunna be alright. I can't do much if you don't tell me what the problem is, but you don't have to. I'm here for you anyways." Adam leaned his forehead against Max's shoulder, nose and eyes a bit redder than they'd been before.


End file.
